FusTech: Cell-cell fusion technology between eukaryotic kingdoms

Can a lower eukaryote, extensively used as a model for basic genetics, production, and synthetic biology, be reprogrammed to reliably deliver cytosolic cargo into mammalian cells? And can it be used to overcome modern limitations in mammalian cell factories? This project sets out to determine the ability of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to facilitate interspecies programmed cell fusion to controllably deliver cytosolic cargos including nucleic acids, proteins, or entire organelles, into mammalian cells. This programmable fusion technology (FusTech) should establish a unique and modular platform to investigate synthetic strategies for horizontal transfer of genetically encoded information between eukaryotic kingdoms.